He took a long sip from his drink and stared blankly out into the darkness. This restaurant had once been full of life and vibrant people-a hot spot in the city near Bowser's Castle. At this very moment though, the darkness was over-whelming to a point of almost envelopment. As he began to take another sip to take his mind off of the racing thoughts in his head, a door in the far corner of the restaurant squeaked open.
Like a bolt of lightning had just struck, every light in the restaurant came on.
"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
Slam could not help but crack a smile at all the hubbub going on in the Pizza Palace. It was a common hangout for all of his friends and him on the weekends; fair enough to say, he was a regular at this place. The memories here were endless for him: where he met his best friend, where he had his first date, where he went to celebrate his enrollment into a specialized combat academy.
Slam shook off a quick shiver as he thought about ACAHB-Advanced Combat Academy for Hammer Bros. His parents were once-famous fighters for Bowser's army who had actually survived Mario's many onslaughts, so it only made sense for them to push him into the academy. Nonetheless, he was in no mood to think about his training.
More importantly, it was his best friend's big day. Although they were now equal at the age of fifteen years, the two had known each other for almost ten years at this point.
"Congratulations on the big one-five, Beo!" Slammer shouted overly enthusiastic at his approaching friend. (The yell was hardly noticeable over the roaring chit chat of the too many people stuffed inside the small pizza place.) Beo was a big guy who stood in stark contrast to Slam's small stature. While Slam was technically a Slammer Bro-a Hammer Bro specializing in heavy equipment and hand-to-hand combat-Beo was a very intimidating and strong Hammer Bro. Although Hammer Bro's were not specifically trained with any extra skills, Slam would by no means want to get in a fight with Beo.
"How's my little Napoleon doing?" Beo answered back with his crooked smile. He was a smart guy, even as a little kid. Slam decided that the best response to this snarky comment would be an eye roll since Beo was about to be swarmed with relatives and friends alike; the two had no time to get into a witty retort that they had become so fond of. Beo realized this as well and acknowledged Slam with a head nod as he withdrew back into the crowd of people who came to his surprise birthday party.
Although he knew Beo well, he could not say the same for everyone in his immediate sight. He thought about striking up a conversation with a nearby Koopa Troopa who was adorned with a turquoise-colored shell but decided against it. The two made awkward eye contact before Slam cracked a nervous smile and slipped out a back exit to get some fresh air.
Slam had never been a big fan of Bowser, but he could appreciate the location where Bowser set up his fortress. Pizza Palace's exit led right to a ridge that overlooked a gorgeous valley. Streaks of white danced on the vibrant green, turf-like state of the valley. Warp pipes were arranged in the shape of a star at the very bottom. If it was just for decoration, the warp pipes would seem like a huge waste of resources; however, Slam's father told him that all of those pipes used to be functional until Bowser had them all filled to the brim with sand (with no explanation of why he did so of course). Slam's curiosity overran his mind as he wondered why exactly Bowser would need to fill all of those big green pipes with sand. Surely, there must have been a pretty good reason...
"Hey, what are you doing back here?" questioned an unfamiliar voice behind him. As Slam turned around, he saw a face that he was certainly not expecting.
